AboutConnie Hester Expertise Quilting and applique expert.Can advise on the following topics:quilting, art quilts, quilt design and construction, machine and hand quilting, paper foundation piecing, machine piecing, hand piecing, raw edge applique, turned-edge applique and fiber art.
Experience Winning awards in international fiber and art competitions since 1983; http://www.conniehester.com/
BS,MS
See my work and books at http://www.conniehester.com/
Question yes i would like to know why my needles keep breaking when using a darning foot to practice
on my quilt top sandwich.
Answer Hi, Josie,
The most common problem when free-motion quilting - and often so subtle that it is not noticed - is that we push or pull the quilt sandwich as it feeds under the needle. When we do this, we pull/push the needle out of alignment, even the least little bit, and it hits the bobbin case and breaks. This practice also results in a distorted finished product with pulled stitching.
With practice it becomes easier to rather allow the quilt sandwich to feed itself under the needle. I know this sounds crazy, since the darning foot prevents the feed-dogs from feeding the fabric through, but when you get the feel of things, it really needs very little manipulation.
The other problem could be that you are using too small a needle for the depth and density of your quilt sandwich. If you have lots of bulk from multiple layers of fabric, you may need to use a size 14 needle. I prefer a size 11 needle because I want to keep the size of the needle's holes to a minimum, but your sandwich may be too thick or too hard for the needle to penetrate easily - which would also contribute to the needle breaking.
